Cuddle Puddles
by GoodbyeGravity
Summary: Sarah suddenly felt familiar - rather TOO familiar - hands around her waist, pulling on her... Rated T for lemons. Un-childish touching and suggestive behavior, you know the Jareth drill...


Right, so, partially inspired by the incredibly talented Pika-la-Cynique, and her incredibly addictive Girls Next Door comics, I've decided to attempt to take up the challenge of filling a certain interesting plothole... Let's see how this goes, shall we?

**Disclaimer: **I, unfortunately, do not own the Labyrinth, the characters within and associated with it, or any of the characters in the GND 'verse. Those belong to the brilliant minds of those who created them. If I DID own them, I believe I would have a cuddle puddle every single day. But since I do not, let's focus on how a certain extremely stubborn individualistic girl gets out of a cuddle puddle created by a rather devious, sexy, and criminally-tight-pants wearing king.

**Rated PG-13 **for rather child-like fighting and tactics, and decidedly UN-child-like behavior... and touching. Let's not forget the very-much-so-not-childish touching.

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**Cuddle Puddles **

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"You heard the girl, it's her birthday! Let's put a smile on that face..."

"THAT'S FOR CUTTING THE CAKE! Geez, enough with the murdering psychos already!" Christine balanced the birthday cake on her hip, grabbing the kitchen knife from yet another appearance of the antagonistic variety in the apartment complex.

Sarah sighed and shook her head, and readjusted her grip on the stack of plates she was carrying to help Christine serve cake. She was hoping that the newest guest didn't upset Sweeney too much... there was only so much the guy could take, and she REALLY didn't want to have to clean up blood from the carpet, nor was she in the mood for a meat pie -

" _CUDDLE PUDDLE! _"

Sarah suddenly felt familiar - rather TOO familiar - hands around her waist, pulling on her. Shocked by the sudden proximity and outburst by a certain glitter-loving king, she ended up getting pulled onto the Goblin King's lap...

"-Damn straight! It's my party, and I'll ship if I want to -" was heard by a certain artist -

... and dropping all the plates she had been carrying on the floor.

The rather hard floor.

The rather hard floor that tended to make ceramic plates go 'tinkle-tinkle-CRASH'.

"Jaaaaareth..."

"Why hello, precious! However did you end up so perfectly in my lap?" the king smiled brightly.

"Dammit, Goblin King! Don't play coy with me! Those plates were a gift from Karen - my psycho-deranged stepmom, remember? She's gonna KILL me when she finds out they're broken -"

"Shhhhh..."

And Sarah did 'shhh', seeing as he had wrapped his arms around her waist. _HOW did I forget I was sitting in his freaking LAP? _Sarah wondered in an out of body moment. The sound meant to soothe her had been whispered right against the nape of her neck, and she felt her face coloring a little, but shook her head vehemently to get rid of that hot feeling that was traitorously starting to pool in her lower abdomen.

"Mmmm? Why the rather violent head shake dearest?" The Goblin King asked lightly - yet Sarah could feel his lips turning upwards...

_His perfect, marvelous, entirely kissableSHUTUPHEAD_

… betraying a smirk.

_That ASS, he knows exactly what he's doing! _

"I'm shaking my head because I was deciding against a particularly violent plan to get you to let go of me. I'd rather not ruin the birthday party, you see," Sarah said, inspecting her nails, feeling rather proud of her comeback.

"While I do detest giving you reason to enact your surely horrible plans of vengeance upon me, Sarah, I'm afraid that there is very little you could do to alert the rest of our little group..." The Goblin King momentarily let go of Sarah's waist with one hand to gesture towards the others (though, of course, that hand instantly snaked back around her waist, much to Sarah's disappointment and yet more cheek-flushing).

"Well, you have a point. Christine is trying desperately to keep a rather murderous looking - though, when _isn't he? - _Mr. Todd from slicing open an equally deranged Mr. Joker, and our birthday girl is rather preoccupied with her own slightly awkward pirate-y cuddle puddle... though, the fact remains that I'd rather not clean up blood."

"Quite fortunate for me, it would seem," the king nodded his head.

"But now to figure out how to get you to let go of me, AND get payback for the dishes you broke." Sarah turned to look at him, a glare firmly planted on her face and all thoughts pertaining to his touching - _His glorious, way too far from adult-like, touchingCANIT, HEAD _- pushed as far back into her head as possible.

"Now _that _just isn't fair, precious thing. _I _didn't break the plates! I merely ensured my invitation for a truly wonderful cuddle puddle wouldn't be bashfully turned away -"

"Oh PLEASE, Jareth, when have I ever been BASHFUL -"

"And, besides, Sarah, look, your plates aren't even broken."

Sarah whirled around, much to Jareth's pleasure - so she assumed, judging from his sudden sharp inhalation of breath, and rather betraying criminally tight pants that she happened to be positioned on _just right _- to see a stack of plates, perfectly clean and NOT 'tinkle-tinkle-CRASH'-ed.

"That - they - you -"

"While your incoherency is perfectly adorable, I believe I'll sum up your confused stuttering as being a 'thank you', and reply with a 'you are quite welcome'. Though, now, it seems, you are in a bit of debt... I _have _saved your priceless dishes from destruction and you from your step mother's war path... doesn't the knight in shining armor get a token of your gratitude?"

Sarah inhaled sharply, looking at him. While his tone was one of innocent nonchalance, there was an undertone, one she was quite familiar with. It spoke of predators, with their eyes on their prey, of lusty nights spent writhing under the covers... her face flushed, and her heart rate quickened ever so slightly.

_Get a hold of yourself, girl! It's just the Goblin King! The same old glitter-fixated pompous creep who you proved years ago had no power over you..._

But, years ago, I was fifteen. I've got a lot more experience now... and while he may have no power over my will, he's certainly got a grip on my hormones -

NO. I won't be beaten by him, it's just the Goblin King, just Jareth! 

"You're so quiet, Sarah... I wonder, what could you be thinking of...? But, I'm rather disappointed with the slowness of your gratitude... Shall I help you a bit?" At that, he picked her up, still sitting, and faced her towards him, so that she was - _Eep! _- straddling him, her legs somehow crossed behind his back...

"Much better... don't you think...?" He leaned forward a little, and one hand, previously situated at her waist like the others, began to lightly trail it's way up her back, causing her to arch her back slightly, without thinking. "Ah... that's more like it. Yet, still, so unresponsive... I think I may have to take advantage of this situation..."

He did. The hand that had just been trailing delicately along her back was moved to twine in her hair, and the other hand at her waist crept under her shirt, slowly moving up against her bare skin. Sarah, her arms hanging at her sides still, in shock, just sat there. The king smirked at her inability to move... "Still nothing, mmm...?" leaned forward, and trailed his lips along the base of her neck.

Sarah gasped at the heat that rushed to the area, and to the small of her back where his hand was moving in such an intimate way.. and, lower.

_Oh, GOD. This isn't good, this isn't good, this isn'tgoodisn'tgood - ohhhh, don't stop don't stop don't stop - NO. I have to get out of this - ugh, really really nice - erm, bad situation - what do I do? If I sit here, he'll surely do whatever he wants, if I just try and kiss him on the cheek, I HIGHLY doubt that will work... crapcrapcrap, does that mean...? Dammit. Here goes __nothing... _

" _Jareth... _"

The Goblin King froze, his mouth currently concentrated on making her shoulder feel rather warm, and pleasant if he had anything to say about it. Her voice was lower... He brought his head back and looked at her face. She cocked her head, a quizzical look upon her face... and a rather mischievous gleam in her eye.

"Sarah... I warn you, you are NOT getting off of my lap without some form of thanks. Sorry, but no paltry kiss cheek will suffice, sorry. Nothing like that." Jareth crossed his arms in a definite way.

"Nothing like that? Nothing, nothing, tra la la? Well, I suppose I'll just have to show my gratitude in a very thankful way..."

Jareth froze, a flush nearly entering his cheeks - her voice was... sultry?

"Sarah, what are you -"

At that, he stopped talking, for Sarah had brought her lips up to his, so close to touching that hardly a hairs breadth was between their lips. Her breath was slow, and hot - his heart started racing, and his cheeks grew a little hot.

"I'm thanking you, silly..."

She moved her lips away from his, and traced his jaw line, her mouth hovering barely above his skin, her hands resting on his shoulders. Playfully, she went to his ear, and lightly, ever so likely, slipped her tongue against his earlobe.

The Goblin King shivered.

She grinned, moving to his neck, back and forth, tracing her lips in the air just above his skin. He sat still, his mouth a little open, breathing fast, his eyes half closed and watching her, darkly.

_Damn, he's tough to crack... _

Her hands slipped down a little, her thumbs tracing the outline of his low cut shirt, rubbing lightly in small circles when she reached the lowest point in the v.

His breathing quickened.

Sighing, she focused back on his neck, and, ever so lightly, brushed it with her lips.

Lightning quick, his hands moved to the small of her back, and before she knew it, she was pressed against him.

Her own breathing quickened, her face flushed.

"Not good enough, love..." he whispered huskily into her ear.

Her heart racing, she lifted her head, and looked at him. His eyes were dark, and full of longing -

- _for me _- she realized, with a jolt -

- and, unsure now, she moved her mouth to right above his. Their breathing was quick, their breath mixing hotly in the space lingering between their lips...

"... thank you, Jareth..." Sarah whispered, her lips brushing his.

With that, Jareth moved forward, removing that last bit of space between them, and kissed her.

It was light, as respectful of space as a captive kiss could be, but so very passionate - she could feel his longing, his intense desire, wordlessly through it.

Without thinking, she opened her mouth a little, and ran her tongue along his bottom lip.

He breathed in sharply, and, for a split second, his grip on her back loosened.

In a flash, she stood up, turned and walked to the door - "Sorry, Chris, I forgot the ice cream in the car, I'll be back in a second!"

"What? Okay! Hurry up!" Christine said, still busy with the two knife-happy men.

As she opened the door, Sarah glanced back at the couch. She locked gazes with Jareth, turned slightly to face her - his eyes were dark, wild with what had just passed, and his face flushed. She turned her head, leaving, letting her hair cloak her face, and the fierce blush that stained it.


End file.
